Help pollinators with native plants

Because of Colony Collapse Disorder, honey bee colonies across the United States are dying off. Pollinators are an important part of the ecosystem providing both a direct food source for predators and providing an important link to plant life processes, which result in fruits and new plants. Bees are the most effective pollinators in the ecosystem, especially native ones.

“There are a lot of different hypotheses for what’s happening out there,” says State Biologist Casey Burns, but “they still don’t know for sure.”

Colony Collapse Disorder may be caused by a combination of causes, including disease, poor nutrition and pesticide use. Alternatives to honey bees as pollinators include native bees, butterflies, beetles, moths and bats. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service offers help to anyone who would like to improve the number of pollinators available in an area.​For those looking to help pollinators, there are three steps that they can take.

Plant native flowering species – even a space as small as ten square feet can make a difference.

Create nesting areas – see the video here.

Reduce or eliminate pesticide use.

Burns will be presenting information on pollinators at the Salt Lake City Bioneers Conference at Westminster College.

First-year flowering native species in Utah that can help pollinators in order of bloom are